Reprisal
by Mummyluvr
Summary: [Third in the Grapefruit Analogy series]  Two years after defeating the demon, the Winchesters are living happily ever after.  Until, that is, an old enemy catches up with them, deciding that it isn't enough to get mad.  He wants to get even...
1. Chapter 1

All right! Threequel time! I hope you all remember what happend in the previous installments. No? Want a refresher? Well, ok.

In story 1 (The Grapefruit Analogy) Dean got Ellen knocked up (pause for group 'ewww') and it quickly turned into an MPreg story _without_ Wincest (I know, it's shocking!). Then the demon took the baby, but all's well that ends well (read: Dean got his baby back), even if Ellen still hated him.

In story 2 (Black, Black, No Trades Back) the adorable little baby was thirteen, ran away to meet her mom (who hates Dean for getting her knocked up, even though she, in effect, got him pregnant). Chaos ensued when Jaydin (you know, the little illigit freak of nature) was kidnapped by the YED, which offered to trade her for Sam. Oh, he gave Dean Ellen, too (yeah, don't ask). YED was vanquished, as all demons must be, and Ellen finally told Jo the truth about the teenager, which pissed Jo off royally. So much so, in fact, that she kicked her mom out. Ellen, having no where else to go (or maybe just wanting to rub salt into old wounds) asked Dean if she could stay with him. Dean obliged (becuase he likes setting himself up for heartache like that). The end.

Or so I thought, until I started this one.

So, is that a long enough A/N for ya? Let's get down to the technical stuff, then.

**Title:** Reprisal

**Summary: **Two years after finally destroying the demon that ruined their lives, things are looking up for the Winchester family. Until, that is, an old enemy escapes from prison, hooks up with his Roadhouse connection, and they decide that getting mad isn't enough. They want to get even...

**Rating: **T for language and implied sexual content

**Warnings:** A couple of disturbing pairings (according to my friends) but they're het. Besides, if you're here you're probably used to it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show. I never will. Even if I knew how to gain possession of it, I probably wouldn't have the guts to. Hmm... possession... now_ that's_ an idea...

* * *

**Reprisal**

Grinning from ear to ear, Dean Winchester sped down the stairs and into the kitchen of his small house to find his brother pouring a bowl of cereal.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Sam observed, glancing up at his slightly spastic older sibling.

"What can I say?" Dean shrugged, "It's a great day to be alive."

"She slept with you last night, didn't she?"

Dean grabbed his brother's breakfast. "Just for that, I'm taking the last bowl of Lucky Charms."

"She _did_," Sam exclaimed, disgust apparent in his voice, "I can't believe it."

"What's not to believe?" Dean asked, pouring milk over his stolen breakfast.

"You actually let her into your room."

"It's been two years," Dean pointed out, "and she hasn't left yet."

"And Jo hasn't called to invite her back, either."

"What are you saying, Sam?"

"I'm saying that you need to think before you act."

"You're just jealous."

"I'm just smart. Think about it, Dean. A leopard can't change her spots."

"It's a good thing we're talking about people, then, isn't it?" Dean hissed, shoving the jug of milk into his brother's hands. Sam just scowled and headed back to the cereal cabinet as the sound of soft footfalls came from down the hall.

"What people?" Jaydin asked as she walked into the room and stole her father's bowl of cereal.

"Your parents," Sam clarified, glaring at his brother.

"Oh, yeah." She smiled up at her dad. "You guys have fun last night?"

Dean blinked, looking at Sam for help as Jaye sat down at the table and started to eat. "What, uh, what're you talking about, kiddo?"

Jaye rolled her eyes. "Come on, dad. You know I have trouble falling asleep sometimes, and the walls in this house are practically paper-thin."

"I dunno what you thought you heard," Dean said slowly, unable to keep his face from turning red, "but it can't be what you thought."

Grinning, she took a bite of her breakfast and slammed the heel of her hand down on the table, raised it, and slammed it down again, creating a steady rhythm. Dean groaned and turned away from the fifteen-year-old, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"Yeah, I heard that, too," Jaye smirked, "that noise you just made." Dean turned back to his brother, pleading with his eyes for some means of escape, but all Sam could do was smile and try to bite back his laughter. "Oh, by the way," Jaydin continued, "who's Bill?"

"Help me out here," Dean muttered, still looking to Sam for help, but the younger man shook his head. Sighing, he turned around to face his daughter. "That's none of your business," he said quickly, "so drop it."

"I'll drop it if you guys move your bed away from my wall."

"Deal."

Jaydin smiled and went back to her breakfast while Sam cleared his throat and finally put the jug of milk away. As soon as the heat had left his face, Dean followed his brother's suit, pouring himself a new bowl of cereal and heading to the table to sit down. He never saw the other person walking into the kitchen, didn't have time to warn her.

"Hey, mom," Jaye smiled as Ellen poured herself a cup of coffee, "do you know anyone named Bill?"

"Uh, he was my husband," Ellen replied slowly, confused by the seemingly random question, "he was Jo's father."

"Oh, ok," the girl said, flashing a winning smile at her father before finishing off her cereal and leaving the room. As soon as she was gone, Sam burst into a fit of laughter.

"What was that about?" Ellen asked, sitting down and looking between the brothers.

Dean glared at his brother as he replied. "Nothing. Don't ask." When he found his giggling brother unaffected by his death-stare, Dean turned to look at Ellen, "so, now that we're actually sharing a room, I was thinking of remodeling. Maybe moving things around, huh?"

"I think the room looks fine."

"Yeah, well, I think maybe the bed needs to be on the other side of the room or something. More feng shui."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Feng shui?"

"I want the room to be in harmony with nature?" Dean attempted weakly, sending Sam into another laughing fit.

"Well, if you want to move the furniture," Ellen said slowly, watching Sam out of the corner of her eye, "be my guest. After all, it's your room."

Dean nodded. "All right. I'll get on that. Soon. Before bedtime."

"This isn't about..?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," she nodded, glancing at Sam, "what are you laughing at?" Sam straightened up, all joy dying from his face. She turned back to Dean. "Are you telling me that she…?"

He nodded again. "Yeah, she heard."

"How much?"

"Just about everything."

"That would explain…"

"Why she asked about your dead husband? Yeah." Dean replied bitterly, looking down into his quickly emptying cereal bowl.

"How many times can I apologize for that?" she asked as Sam snorted. "Shouldn't you be heading to work?"

"Got the day off," Sam said, smiling wide.

"Good," Dean grinned, finishing off his cereal and walking the empty bowl to the sink, "you can rearrange things while we're off earning our keep."

o0o0o0o0o

"Look at that."

Dean barely turned at the sound of Ellen's voice. She was staring out the front door. "That spider? That's been there forever. I think it might be dead, but I haven't gotten the chance to poke at it yet."

"Not that."

"The wasp nest then? It's on my to-do list."

"No, Dean. There's… there's a wasps' nest and you haven't taken care of it yet?"

"Nobody's been stung," he defended, keeping his eyes on the TV, "yet."

She sighed. "There's a car parked up the street. It was there when I left this morning."

"So the neighbors got a new ride. Big deal."

"No, I don't think it's theirs."

"What, you think someone's casing our house?"

"Just come look."

Reluctantly, Dean moved from the couch to the front door and peered outside. An old red clunker was parked a little way up the street, facing the house. "Maybe some kid on the block just turned sixteen. Most folks get their kids clunkers for first cars."

Ellen shook her head. "You really are anti-social, aren't you? Jaye's the only kid close to that age on the block. You would know that if you bothered to talk to people."

"I talk to people. Maybe it's a loaner."

"I don't know. I've just got this weird feeling. Like something's wrong."

"Well," Dean said softly, closing the door and ushering her back into the house, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Who in their right mind would want to watch us? Maybe it stalled on the street there and the owners are waiting for it to get towed. Maybe it belongs to someone visiting family here. It could be anything."

"I guess you're right," Ellen finally conceded, letting herself be led back into the house.

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right. I'm the patriarch of the family."

"Ooh, a three syllable word. I'm impressed."

"Thought you might be," Dean grinned, flopping back down on the couch with her.

* * *

So, that's chapter 1. Trust me, the story picks up fast. I think. Anyway, if I was a vampire, I'd be a review vampire (I'd live off reviews. Get it?). Yeah, that was lame. Anyway, please review :) 


	2. Chapter 2

So, I finally finished writing the story, and decided to post up chapter 2 tonight becuase I'm leaving early tomorrow for one final vacation before school starts again. That means I probably won't update this weekend. Sorry, guys.

In other news: Good enough to read, but not to review, huh? LOL

* * *

Jaydin Winchester heard soft laughter from the living room and struggled to suppress a shudder. Two years of secretly begging her father to realize he was making a mistake, of asking her uncle, who seemed to be the only other sane person in the house, for help, of giving her mother the cold shoulder as often as possible, and it hadn't done a thing. They were actually together. For the time being.

That was one thing Jaye knew for sure. She may have been a kid, but she was smart, and she could read people like a book. Growing up with her father had given her that much, at least. Nothing good could come from the relationship that was forming under the roof of the modest house. It had ended poorly before, and it would do so again.

"'But she's got nowhere else to go,'" Jaydin sneered, quoting her father, as she shoved her pajamas into a duffel bag, "'we can't just dump her out on the street.'"

"You talking to yourself again?" Sam asked, popping his head into the teen's room.

"Can't you mind your own business?" Jaye asked, ducking her head as her cheeks turned pink.

Sammy smiled and leaned up against the doorframe. "It's not my fault your voice carries. It's one of your father's more irritating traits, and, unfortunately, one you picked up."

"Sorry if I interrupted your special alone time, uncle Sam," she smirked.

"Very funny," he replied, walking into the room and taking a seat on her bed beside the bag, "I've seen 'Transformers,' too. Kinda retro for your generation, though, isn't it?"

"Maybe I like it when robots beat the crap out of each other."

"Huh. That was your dad's reason for dragging me to it."

"So," the girl muttered, rolling up a pair of jeans and tossing them into her bag, "is there any reason you're watching me pack for Katie's party, or do you just like hovering that much?"

Sam grinned. "I actually wanted to talk about your parents." Jaye looked up from her packing and winced as more laughter floated up from the living room. "I guess you noticed-"

"That dad's an idiot? Yeah. I noticed."

"He seems happy. Maybe you should lighten up for a while. That stunt you pulled in the kitchen this morning, funny as it may have been, was kinda harsh."

"Like you weren't ribbing him about it."

"There's a difference between brotherly banter and forcing someone to have the sex talk with you again."

"What's your point?"

"I had it covered," Sam said, "you could have let it go."

"No, I couldn't," Jaye argued.

"Why not?"

"Because he's happy."

"Jealous?"

"No," she sighed, sitting down beside her uncle on her bed. "It's just… it seems like every time dad's happy- like, really happy- something happens. Demons attack or you leave or I run away or mom gives him a verbal beat-down. Like the universe hates him or something."

"You actually pay that much attention to your father's life?"

"Until a couple of years ago there wasn't much else to watch. It was just the two of us and then I had to go and muck it up. With a capitol 'F.'"

Sam grinned. "Well, you're not gonna leave again, and I'm pretty sure I'm here for good. Finally got my own room, anyway. I'm off the couch."

"Good for you," Jaye muttered, going back to her packing.

"Look, we can't force him to change his mind. Besides, from what I hear, Jo was really pissed when she found out the truth. There's no way things are ever going back to the way they were between her and Ellen. We've probably got nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you're right," Jaydin conceded, "but I've got a bad feeling about this. Like something's gonna happen."

"Well," Sammy smiled, standing up, "if the resident psychic isn't waving any red flags around, I think we'll be fine."

o0o0o0o0o

Gordon Walker smiled as he sat in the dirty red rust bucket he'd stolen after finally breaking out of prison. He'd been out of the business too long to know what was going on with the Winchesters, and was happy to find that, even with the murder of that psychic freak pinned on him, he still had Roadhouse connections.

That was how he'd found the little house in the suburbs. Now it was just a waiting game, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, to carry out the plan he had come up with. Sure, he'd had some help, gotten addresses and ideas and gas money from his new girl, but that was all superficial stuff, stuff he could have gotten in other ways. She was expendable.

He planned on dealing with the clingy chick after he'd finished off the psychic and his traitor brother. He would let his girl have her fun with the other two, the slut and her daughter, and then he would kill her.

She wasn't really his type, anyway.

* * *

That's what you get for not reviewing. So there :) 


	3. Chapter 3

Back from vacation with another chapter. I hope you enjoy it (oh, and thanks for reviewing :))

* * *

A gaggle of teenage girls huddled around the window, staring out into Katie Lauren's front yard. Their mouths were practically watering as they watched Katie's mom conversing with a tall, handsome man.

"Jaye, you're just in time," Melanie Daniels said, noticing that her friend had just arrived, "drop your stuff by the door and come see!"

"What are you looking at?" Jaydin asked as she did as she had been told and joined her friends at the window.

"Check out the hunk," Katie gushed, pointing down at the man who was talking to her mother.

"I would totally let him eat whipped cream off my stomach," Melanie moaned.

"I would let him cover me in chocolate sauce and then lick me clean," Brittany Mills whispered.

"I would let him mow my front lawn, then come in and shower," Heather Koon piped up, "_with me_."

Jaye nodded. "I would let him read me a bedtime story and tuck me in." The four other girls turned and looked at her with wide, confused eyes. "You guys, that's my dad."

Everyone but Heather jumped away from the window. "Jaye, why didn't you tell us?" Katie asked.

"I thought you knew what my dad looked like."

"We've never seen him. The only person we've seen you with is your grandma."

"Both of my grandmothers are dead," Jaydin informed them, "that's my mom."

"Oh," Katie muttered, "well, um…"

Jaye grinned. "You think my dad's hot? You should totally see my uncle. I come from an awesome gene pool."

The awkward moment forgotten, the girls headed towards the living room, gathering their things, to start the slumber party games. Only Heather remained looking out the window, smiling wickedly. "I'd still let him do me," she whispered to herself before running off to join her friends.

o0o0o0o0o

"I hate talking to parents," Dean announced as he walked through the front door to his house, "I hate it even more when they're single."

"Get hit on again?" Sam called from the kitchen.

"What do _you_ think?"

"You know, if you left the house for more than work and dirty movie runs, maybe people would know you're taken."

"And maybe if you shut up I wouldn't feel like hurting you. We can't live life thinking about all the maybes, Sammy."

Sam grinned as his brother entered the kitchen. "So, we have a whole night without the world's most angst-ridden teen. What do you want to do?"

"You want me to do something with you? But I thought you weren't gonna be here tonight."

"Ha ha. I meant the world's _current_ angst-ridden teen."

"Oh, well," Dean said slowly, thinking, "since you didn't rearrange my bedroom today, it looks like I'll be doing that."

"What are you gonna do when you finish?" Sam asked, a smarmy grin spreading across his face, "something dirty?"

"For your information," Dean muttered, rifling through the fridge for something decent to eat, "Ellen went back to the bar. She got a call from someone who needs a place to crash and recover after something almost tore him apart. She's gotta unlock the place for him."

Sam nodded. "Still, that's not an all-night thing."

"It is if the guy's right arm is practically hanging off him. I told her I'd head over later to help with the clean-up."

Sam nodded again. "You know, sometimes I wonder if this new bar's stealing customers from the old one."

"If the old one's even still open."

"You really think Jo would close the Roadhouse down?"

"Only ties to her family," Dean shrugged, "besides, business is booming here. Last time I went in there it was packed. Ellen's got her hands full."

"Figuratively, or literally?" Sam asked, grinning that disgusting grin of his again.

"Dude, stop. I thought you were supposed to be the mature one."

Sammy laughed. "Maturity is relative, so I still am, at least until Ellen gets back."

"Brilliant." Dean rolled his eyes, finally settling on something from the fridge and sitting down at the table, where his brother had set up his laptop and was tediously typing away. "So, what's up?"

"Well," Sam began slowly, all happiness draining from his face, "I was hanging out here, watching TV and stuff, when Susan called."

"Your boss?"

"Yeah," the younger man nodded, "she told me to turn on channel five and watch the news."

"Why?"

"She was concerned. She knew I was living with my brother and his teenage daughter and thought that I needed to be aware of what was going on."

"What was going on?" Dean asked, starting to get tired of Sam's constant pauses in his story.

"An inmate at a prison in Indiana recently broke out. He was incarcerated on weapons charges and murder. He killed some kid in a small town about fifteen years ago."

"And I care about this because?"

"The inmate's name is Gordon Walker. He got out, Dean. I've been searching the web for any leads on where he might be, and someone reported a sighting just east of the Iowa-Nebraska border."

"Did they see what he was driving?"

Sam shook his head. "No. It was a checkout girl in Wal-Mart. He's smart. Didn't want anyone to see the car."

Dean nodded slowly, thinking back to the car Ellen had pointed out to him earlier that day, his mind naturally running to the darkest, scariest corner it could find and blabbering on about the worst possible thing that could happen. "Think I should go get Jaye?"

"She'll be all right," Sam reasoned, "he's not gonna attack a bunch of girls at a slumber party."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dean said, though he didn't really believe it.

* * *

Just for the record: the first part of the chapter was an idea I ahd for a one-shot, except it was DEan mowing a neighbor's lawn while jaye's friends (unaware of who he really was) had the same convo. I think it turned out appropriately awkward, don't you? 


	4. Chapter 4

So, this one's a longer chapter. Enjoy it! And thanks for reviewing, guys!

* * *

Dean pushed a swing aside as he walked through the playground, bending down to peer under the equipment and into the tube slides. He could have sworn he'd seen movement out in the empty area. He had to move fast, had to search every nook and cranny before the end of snack time. If he waited too long, he'd never be able to find what he was looking for, and that could be a problem.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of pink and heard an eerie giggle. Silently, he crept over the woodchips towards the plastic rock climbing wall. Another creepy giggle reached his ears.

"Gee," Dean said softly, as if to himself, dropping to his knees in the wood, "I wonder where she went?" He crawled under the plastic wall, reaching out and grabbing the squirming four-year-old girl that had been hiding from him. "Gotcha!"

"Oh, you found me," she whined, following him out from under the playground equipment.

"And you missed snack time," Dean pointed out as the back doors of the Day Care opened and young children started pouring out.

"But we was playing," she argued, "we couldn't stop to eat. Asides, I'm not hungry anyways."

Dean grinned as he heard her stomach growl. "Sure you aren't. Come on, Madi," he said, reaching out and taking her hand, "I'll see if I can charm Ms. Didi into getting you something to put into that talking tummy of yours."

"Ok," she said happily as he led her into the building.

"Let me guess," Didi chuckled as she saw Dean approaching, "you made another one miss snack time?"

"She's a good hider," Dean defended, "and she's really hungry. Just listen to her tummy growl." The room fell silent as the group listened. Unfortunately, Madi's stomach didn't help the hunter out. "Stage fright," Dean explained.

Didi grinned. "Fine. I'll give her an apple or something. Is that all right, honey?"

Madi nodded. "I'm hungry enough to eat it whole. No slices or anything."

"Wow," Dean marveled, "that _is_ hungry." He walked over to a tiny sink and helped the little girl wash her hands. "You know, my daughter never used to eat anything unless it was sliced. She even made me cut up her spaghetti for her."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. She grew out of that, but I was stuck cutting up noodles for a long time."

"That's funny," Madi giggled, sitting down in a miniature chair and waiting patiently for Didi to finish with her apple. "How old is she now?"

"Almost sixteen," Dean grinned. He looked over at Didi, "time sure flies, huh?"

"Don't I know it," the other adult agreed, "little Benji's getting ready for college. Can you believe it?"

Dean shook his head and opened his mouth to reply, but something stopped him. "Hey, you hear that?"

Didi stopped what she was doing and listened as Madi cocked her head to the side. "Sounds like sirens," the worker said, "probably a fire somewhere."

"Those are police sirens," Madi corrected, "my daddy showed me. He's a policeman. He lets me ride in his car in the parade. Fire sirens sound different."

"She's right," Dean agreed, fear starting to gnaw at him, "it's the cops."

"Somebody's probably speeding," Didi shrugged.

The hunter nodded, though he wasn't really listening anymore. He was too busy thinking. Jaye was at a friend's house, Gordon was on the loose, and anything was possible. "Listen, Didi, could you cover for me? I need to check on something at home. I shouldn't be gone long." He left without waiting for a reply.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Dean hated being right. He could see the bright yellow police tape as he drove up the street to Melanie Daniels' house and cursed under his breath. He parked the car down the street from the small house and walked up the sidewalk to join the throng of people gathered there.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to keep his voice controlled as his heart pounded and every nerve in his body screamed at him to bust through the tape and run into the house.

"Robbery," an older woman said sadly, turning from the house to look up at him, "someone broke in and killed everyone inside."

Dean's heart sank. "Everyone?" he whispered, tears up behind his eyes as his world began crashing down around him.

The woman nodded. "Everyone. Mrs. Daniels, her little girl, and the three friends she'd invited over for a slumber party."

Dean blinked. "Three friends?"

"Yes. All girls from her school. Poor things."

"Only three of them?"

"Yes. Three friends, and Melanie. It's such a shame."

"You're sure that's all?"

"And the mother, of course. Who could have done this?"

Dean turned away and ran back to the car. He could remember looking up into one of the house's front windows the night before and seeing five pairs of eyes staring at him. Mel had invited four of her friends, which meant that one was alive, even though she wasn't there.

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Hey! Dino! Been a while, huh?"

"Not right now, Morty," Dean snapped as he made through the crowded saloon to the bar. He pushed past a trio of heavily scarred hunters and rapped his knuckles against the counter.

"Be with you in a minute," Ellen said, holding up her index finger.

"It's important."

She spun around to face him. "Thought you had to work today."

He nodded toward the television mounted on the wall. "Turn on the news."

Ellen obliged, grabbing the remote from a shelf and flipping on the TV. A reporter with a bad hairpiece was standing in front of a small white house and pointing back at the police tape. He turned to one of the bystanders, the same old woman Dean had spoken to only a few minutes before, and began asking her about the tragedy.

"I asked," she was telling him, "and the police say that everyone inside died. Yep. The robber killed them all."

Dean looked over at Ellen in time to see the color drain from her face as she switched the TV off. "Relax," he said, "the cops only think there were four girls at the party. That means someone got out."

She nodded. "Guess that means we should head home." She turned to face the crowd in the bar. "Hey!" When no one looked over, Dean whistled. Still no response. Ellen reached under the bar and grabbed a pistol. Pointing it towards the ceiling, she fired a shot. "We're closing early today," she announced as the building quieted, "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." The patrons began to clear out.

"Impressive," Dean observed.

"You just need to know how to get their attention," Ellen grinned, pushing a few stragglers out the door before putting up the 'closed' sign, locking up, and following Dean to the Impala.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Dean wasn't incredibly surprised to Sam waiting in the driveway for them. He'd barely stopped the car before Sam hopped in the backseat. "She's not here."

"How'd you even know about this?" Ellen asked as Dean pulled back out of the driveway.

"I work with Heather Koon's mother. The police stopped by to tell her about the murders this morning. You know what we've gotta do, right?"

Dean nodded. "Pull a CSI and check for clues about Gordy's whereabouts. If he kidnapped her it's probably because he wants us to find him. He would have left something behind. You got the IDs?"

Sam grinned and pulled three laminated cards from his pocket.


	5. Chapter 5

School starts tomorrow and I am not a happy camper. The good news is that I found the energy to post this :)

* * *

"Little early to call the feds out, isn't it?" the cop asked as Dean flashed his ID.

"We have reason to believe this is more than a routine robbery," Dean said in his most official voice, "I don't know if you're aware, but there was a breakout from an Indiana prison earlier this week."

"You think that guy might be involved?"

"Just tell us what you know about the crime."

The cop shrugged and led the trio past the crime tape and into the house. The entryway opened up into the living room, where the girls had been sleeping. The four bodies had been moved, but it was still obvious that the murders had been brutal. Blood coated the carpet and walls.

"Funny thing about this," the cop said softly, "is that there are five sleeping bags and only four bodies."

"How'd this happen?" Sam asked, stepping forward as Dean and Ellen both hung back and averted their eyes from the gruesome scene.

"Guy had a gun. Which brings us to another funny thing. The mom had her throat slit. Why carry a gun with him if he was gonna use a knife?"

"We'll see if we can answer that," Sam nodded, "thanks."

The cop shrugged. "Good luck with that." He turned and left.

"I'll poke around in here if you guys want to take the mom's room," Sammy offered, noticing the way that the other two kept their eyes from the bloody sleeping bags.

"Thanks," Dean said softly, taking Ellen's hand and heading off down the hallway, following a trail of blood.

Sam bent down by the sleeping bags, pretty sure he wouldn't find anything that could be useful. Things were scattered amongst the bags; a scrunchie, some earrings, a switchblade, make-up, and a tampon.

He had stood up to join his brother and Ellen in the mother's room before his mind caught the only out of place object in the room. He bent back down and gingerly picked up the bloody knife that was lying o the floor. He recognized it instantly. It belonged to his niece. It had been a birthday present from her father when she'd turned fourteen.

Slowly, Sam turned it over in his hands. There was a splash of blood on the handle, probably from one of the other girls. There was a lot more on the blade, though, as if Jaye had fought back.

Knife in hand, he headed off down the hall.

o0o0o0o0o0o

"That's a lot of blood," Dean observed as he and Ellen entered the Mrs. Daniels' bedroom. A slight breeze blew through the broken window, obviously the point of entry, and stirred the sheets. "But why not just shoot her?"

"He wanted to leave a calling card," Ellen observed, leaning over and picking up a small knife from the floor. She held it up for Dean to see and gasped.

"What?" he asked, rushing to her side.

"Look," she whispered, pointed to the initials engraved on the blade.

"W.A.H." he read.

"William Anthony Harvelle."

"How would Gordon have gotten that?"

Ellen shook her head, wiping the blood off of the knife with her shirt. "I don't know. I gave it to Jo after her father died, and she carried it everywhere with her. I doubt she'd lose it or sell it."

"Unless she didn't. Maybe she gave it to him."

"One way to find out," she muttered, heading out of the bedroom and nearly running into Sam.

"She fought back," the younger man reported quickly.

"We found a clue," Dean announced.

"You want a Scooby Snack?"

"Very funny," the elder sneered, "I'm being serious. Remember that knife Jo kept flipping around in Pennsylvania when we went after Holmes?"

"Yeah. I thought it was gonna go flying out of her hand to poke someone's eye out. What's it got to do with anything?"

"Guess what we found?" Ellen said, holding up the knife for him to see.

"What's that doing here?"

"Exactly what we need to find out," Dean said, "which means we're heading on another road trip."

"Great," Sam sighed, "don't suppose we have time to pack."

Dean ignored him and walked past him, heading out of the small house and to the Impala. He wasn't going to rest until he'd found his daughter and made sure she was safe, even if it meant driving to Harvelle's and getting yelled at by a certain angry blonde.


	6. Chapter 6

My locker is possessed. It won't open for anyone. Then, once I got someone to open it for me, it ate my stuff. Maybe it'll give it back tomorrow, huh?

* * *

Jaye opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a small cabin and the sun was shining brightly through a single window to reveal clouds of dust dancing around in the air.

She blinked against the light and groaned. Her head hurt and there was something uncomfortable digging into her wrists. She was kneeling on the hardwood floor and her kneecaps were begging her to shift positions. Her back, which had been pushed up against a small bed, protested her every movement as she struggled to figure out exactly what had happened.

Glancing over her shoulder, Jaydin saw that her wrists had been taped behind her back, as had her ankles. "Great," she muttered, moving into a more comfortable position, "just what I needed this week."

The door to the tiny cabin opened and a tall black man walked in. With one quick look the teenager could tell that he was older than her dad, but younger than her mom, and probably not a very nice person. "Oh, good," he said, "you're up."

"Where are we?"

The man smiled. "Relax. You're still in Nebraska, only a couple of hours outside your hometown."

"Who are you?"

"Name's Gordon. I'm friends with your parents."

"Then why am I tied up? What did you do with my friends?"

"You're tied up," he explained, "because I didn't want you trying to run off. And your friends died honorable deaths. It was all for the greater good."

Jaye's face fell. It wasn't possible. She'd heard a window break, pulled her knife out of her pocket, pretended to be asleep in order to take full advantage of the element of surprise, heard footsteps behind her, struck out with the blade, and then woken up in the dingy cabin. If he had knocked her out, why go after her friends? "You killed them?" She asked skeptically, "why leave me alive?"

"Because I need you, Jaydin. Need you alive. As long as you're ok-"

"Let me guess," she interrupted, "you need me to lure my family here so you can do something to my uncle?"

"How'd you know that?"

She smirked. "You demons really need to be more original."

"I'm not a demon. I'm a hunter."

"What are you hunting that you had to kidnap me?"

"Your uncle. He's a monster"

"Come on, man. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He got embarrassed changing my diapers. Thought it was inappropriate to undress me like that."

"Bet you didn't know he's psychic. Bet you didn't know he's a freak that's destined to destroy the human race."

Jaye barely stifled a laugh. "Man, you are whacked out of your gourd, aren't you? I just told you, he's the farthest thing from evil."

"I figured you wouldn't understand," Gordon sighed, pulling up a chair and sitting down across from her, "your dad was the same way. You should have seen the look on his face when I tried to kill your uncle. He was pissed."

"You already…?"

"And then they had me locked up. Put away. I thought I was gonna die in that prison. I planned for so long, and when I finally broke out, I found the world all turned around. Fortunately, I found someone who would help me."

"Who on earth would be stupid enough to do that?"

The hunter grinned. "Someone who's just as mad at Sam and Dean Winchester as I am. She's got her own agenda, too. See, your daddy won't come alone. He'll bring Sammy and your mom. We'll ambush them. I'll take the guys, and my friend will take the girls. That was our deal. I exterminate the psychic and his idiot brother, and she gets the girlfriend and the offspring."

Jaye shook her head. "Nobody's that evil."

"Your sister is."

o0o0o0o0o0o

The bar wasn't much cleaner than Dean remembered it. In fact, it may have been dirtier. A thin layer of dust seemed to coat everything in the empty saloon. The hunter looked around, wondering whether or not he should watch out for tumbleweeds, the place was so deserted. "Hey, anyone home?"

The door to the back opened up and a petite blonde backed out. "Hey there. Didn't expect anyone to stop by. I'll be with you in a minute." She turned around, the good-natured smile fading from her face as her dark eyes narrowed. "_You_," Jo hissed, "get out!"

"Relax," Dean said softly, holding up his hands to show that he meant no harm, "we just need to ask you something."

"You're not welcome here," the blonde spat at him before turning to her mother, "and neither are you."

"Then maybe you'll talk to me," Sam offered, "it's really important."

Jo sighed. "Fine," she conceded, "but make it quick."

"It's about your sister-"

"_Don't_ call her that." The hostile tone was back in the blonde's voice, her eyes flashing with anger.

"All right, then. It's about Jaydin. She's been kidnapped."

"What's that got to do with me?"

Sam, who had stepped between Jo and her sworn enemies, as much to be heard as to protect his brother and Ellen, turned back to the pair behind him and held out his hand. Ellen pulled a small knife from her pocket and slipped it carefully into his open hand.

"We found this at the crime scene," he said, holding out the knife for Jo to see.

"Crime scene?" she asked, eyeing the bloody knife.

"Jaye was at a slumber party when she got kidnapped," Dean explained, "four of her friends were shot and the mother of the host had her throat slit open."

"People were killed?" Her eyes were no longer narrowed, but opened wide with surprise, her mouth working without producing any sound, the color draining from her pretty face.

"That's right," Ellen nodded, "five people were killed, and we're afraid your… _Jaydin_ might be next if we can't find her."

"Any clues?"

"Other than this?" Sam asked, holding the knife up a little higher, "not really. But we know that Gordon Walker recently broke out of prison. That, along with the whole wanting to kill me thing and the fact that we're pretty sure you wouldn't stoop to homicide with your dad's old hunting knife, makes us think that he might be around. You seen him?"

Jo shook her head, former icy stare back in place. "Maybe he broke in and stole it without tripping the alarm. He could have disarmed it."

"True," Ellen said quietly, gazing steadily at her daughter, as if looking through her, "listen, it was a long car ride and I had a bit too much coffee this morning. Can I…?"

"You know where the bathroom is," the younger woman hissed. Her mother nodded and headed down a back hallway, which apparently led to the bathroom.

"Look, Jo," Dean said, "I know you're upset, but we're all adults here, and I really need to find my daughter-"

"How can you care about that illegitimate freak?"

"She's my _daughter_."

"She never should have been born," Jo whispered, "she ruined everything. Now get out of my bar." She turned on her heels and walked back through the door through which she'd come.


	7. Chapter 7

Good news! I got a new (correct) combination for my locker today and it opened! It wasn't possessed after all! Yay!!!! To help celebrate this joyous occasion, I thought I'd post a new chapter. Generous, huh:)

* * *

"That went well," Dean muttered sarcastically as Ellen walked out of the Roadhouse to join the brothers at the car. "What took you?"

"Get in the car, drive, and I'll tell you," she grinned. Dean obliged, ducking in behind the wheel and starting up the Impala. They'd driven about ten miles when Ellen told him to stop and pull off onto the shoulder. Apparently, whatever she'd done in the bathroom had been mighty important.

"Any reason you're being so secretive?" Dean asked as he killed the engine and turned to stare at Ellen.

"Didn't you get the feeling she was hiding something?"

"Um, like, the urge to jump forward and throttle us both? Because she wasn't doing a very good job."

Ellen shook her head. "Not that. Something else. She didn't seem to care that Jaye had been kidnapped, but when she heard about the murders-"

"Simple," Dean explained, "she hates our daughter, but cares about people she's never even met. Sam's the same way with me."

Sammy nodded. "It's true. I hate him."

"No," Ellen clarified, "she wasn't upset, she was shocked. Almost like she knew about the kidnapping, but not the murder. That's when I remembered. Gordon used to drop by the Roadhouse when Jo was younger. She gravitated toward him because he treated her like a hunter and not some silly little kid."

"How'd you know that?" Dean asked.

She grinned. "Read her diary. She hid it under her mattress."

"You stole and read your daughter's diary?"

"Don't look so surprised. I read yours, too. And, for the record, none of that is ever gonna happen, so you can forget about asking."

Dean ducked his head and blushed, hoping that Sam would pick up the conversation and set it back on track. Fortunately, the younger man came through. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"She loved him," Ellen explained, "she had a crush on Gordon Walker-"

"That's disgusting," Dean interrupted, "he's gotta be old enough to be her dad." Sam and Ellen stared at him. "What? Fantasizing about someone who's old enough to be one of your parents isn't all right unless you've gotten yourself supernaturally knocked up, had the kid, and are currently living with said parental figure."

"Riiiight," Sam said, turning back to Ellen, "but what's this got to do with today?"

The older woman smirked. "She still hides her diary in the same place. Her room is down the same hallway as the bathroom. If she's hiding something, it'll be in here." She pulled a small pink journal out of her jacket. Grabbing a bobby pin out of her pocket, she began to work on the small lock.

"Who carries bobby pins anymore?" Dean asked, the smug look dying on his face as soon as Ellen glared up at him. "Never mind."

It didn't take long for the diary's lock to snap open. Pages were turning in a hurry, until a name repeatedly popped up, its use growing more and more frequent. "He's here," Ellen said softly, closing the book, "and she knows where."

"Wait, you mean she's working with him?" Sam asked.

"Looks that way. I can't blame her, though. He's a manipulative bastard. This isn't the first time he's taken advantage of her. When she was younger he took her on a hunt with him and used her as bait without telling her. If I hadn't found them when I did she would have been killed for the 'greater good.'"

"And if he offered her revenge on us for ruining her life," Sam reasoned, "she might agree to whatever he says."

Dean looked at Ellen. "Maybe you were right. Staying with the little blonde psychopath and lying to her for 13 years was smart."

Ellen resisted the urge to slap him upside the head. "It's not her fault. I sprung the truth on her. Look, she knows where Gordon is, but doesn't mention the address in her diary. I say we go back to the Roadhouse, wait for her to leave, and then follow her. She'll lead us right to him."

"Yeah, and into a trap."

"It's three against two, four if we can get Jaye away from them. Odds are in our favor."

"When has that ever mattered?"

"Do you want her back or not?"

Dean nodded. "Fine. We stake out the Roadhouse and wait for Jo to leave. See what happens from there."


	8. Chapter 8

OK, so school is officially boring again and it doesn't seem like I had a summer break at all. In fact, a few stories and some weird tan lines are all I have to remember summer by. Well, I hope you're all ready for another chapter, and thanks for reviewing. It really does mean a lot!

* * *

Jaye sat on the floor, staring straight ahead. She thought back to the night before, the conversations she'd had with her friends. They were fighting. They always fought. It was never bad, never anything that could end a friendship. Just a fun fight.

It was over a TV show, of all things. The CW's latest attempt at ratings. There were two hot guys. Jaye had a thing for one of them, but all of her friends liked the other one. He was taller, smarter, and in desperate need of a haircut. Jaydin's guy was funny, but he also had some issues.

That's what they had been fighting about. Stupid TV show characters that weren't even real. It was during that fight that Jaye realized that the claims were true: girls really do fall for guys like their dad. Creepy.

They had gone to sleep after making up, a long process that involved Jaye admitting that her guy probably didn't know his ABC's, and then she'd heard the window break. She'd pulled out her knife, ready to strike if she had to.

She'd heard a weird noise, almost like gargling, and closed her eyes. She'd heard his footsteps, had felt his presence near her body. She'd lashed out at him, had felt the switchblade dig into flesh, and then something had hit her head.

She'd woken up here, found out her friends were all dead, and somehow couldn't bring herself to comprehend it. They couldn't be dead. They were her friends.

"You should have heard them scream," Gordon said softly, bringing Jaye back into the present, "like they thought it could save them."

"You'll never get away with this." Jaydin whispered, fighting back tears, "my parents won't let you."

"They won't have much of a choice," he replied, grinning smugly, "I've got you. If they want you to go free, they'll do whatever I tell them to."

Jaye shook her head, narrowing her eyes. "My dad is gonna kick your _ass_."

"I'd like to see him try," the hunter smirked as the door to the tiny cabin opened and Jo walked in with two large paper grocery bags held loosely in her arms. "Dinner's here," Gordon said.

Jo dropped the bags to the floor before turning and slamming the door with enough force to shake the small cabin. "You said nobody was gonna get hurt," she shouted, staring at Gordon with wide eyes.

"Not true," he defended, digging through the bags for food, "I said that the freak and his brother and maybe mommy dearest would get hurt-"

"You didn't say anything about innocent people, Gordon!"

"They weren't innocent. They were fraternizing with the enemy."

"They were having a slumber party," Jo argued, "and she," she pointed at Jaye, "isn't the enemy, She's fifteen years old. She's bait."

"You weren't thinking about killing everyone she loves?"

Jo sighed. "That's not the point. You killed people who aren't a part of this, Gordon. You lied to me."

"I lie to everyone. What makes you so special?"

"I'm your girlfriend!"

The older hunter grinned. "That just makes you more gullible. Look, they had to die, sweetheart. They would have called the cops and the cops would have interfered."

"_You_ called the cops."

"I waited," he explained, "I had to alert the freak somehow. And because I waited, there weren't any eye witnesses to testify against me. I don't want to be put away again." He put on his most innocent face. "I want to stay with you."

Jaydin nearly gagged as she watched the angry expression slide from her sister's face to be replaced by a goopy, lovey-dovey one. "I guess that makes sense," Jo said softly, smiling at Gordon, "but how do we know that _she_ won't tell?"

Gordon glanced over at the spot that Jaye was occupying. "Remember when you told me that she should never have been born? That it was a bad accident? That she shouldn't even be alive?"

Jo nodded. "Yeah." She looked over at Jaye with disgust, "and I still believe that."

"Then act on it," Gordon said, standing up and putting his hands on her shoulders, "get rid of the problem."

The blonde backed away, shocked. "You can't be serious."

"She knows who I am. She's going to see everything. She's a liability, Jo. Please. Do it for me."

Jo bit her lower lip, looking between her boyfriend and her hated half-sister. "It's not her fault," she finally whispered.

"Her birth wasn't," Gordon pointed out, pulling Jo back into his arms, "but me going to back to jail could be. You can help me."

She stared up at him, looking into his dark eyes, trusting him to always be there, always love her. He needed her. He wouldn't leave, not like her mother. "Ok," she said softly, leaning towards him, "if it's the only way."

Gordon smiled, leaning in to the kiss, glancing over at Jaye, loving the way her face drained of color and her eyes widened to twice their natural size. It was at that exact moment that the door to the cabin burst open.

"Get your hands off my daughter, you pervert," Ellen shouted, leveling a gun at Gordon's head. The other hunter responded by drawing his own weapon and aiming at Jaydin.

"Look who's talking, lady," he shot back as Sam and Dean fell in on either side of her, guns pointed at Gordon, "now drop the weapons and I won't blow her pretty little brains all over the back wall."

The three hunters in the doorway glanced at each other, unwilling to take the chance and see if he was bluffing. Besides, Gordon had never really given them reason to think that he was the bluffing type. Slowly, they lowered their weapons to the floor.

"Tie them up, baby," Gordon instructed, apparently talking to Jo while he kept his eyes on his three new captives.

"With pleasure," Jo smiled, taking a roll of duct tape from the small bed and approaching the hunters. She kicked the guns away from their feet and she started to unroll the tape.

Dean grinned sheepishly. "Um, have I ever mentioned that I'm sorry for sleeping with your mom? Because I am."

"Shut up," she barked, wrapping the tape tightly around his wrists.

"You don't have to do this," Ellen said softly, searching her oldest daughter's face for signs of compassion, "you're not a murderer, Jo. You can let us go right now."

"Why? So you can leave again?"

Ellen sighed. "Great," she muttered under her breath, "another one with abandonment issues."

"What was that?"

"If you really miss me that much," she said quickly, "then I could stay with you again. It could be just like before. Let us all go, and I swear, I'll never leave you again."

Jo blinked and pushed Dean to the floor beside his daughter before moving on to her mother. "You really mean that? Just you and me?"

Ellen nodded, trying hard not to look Dean in the eyes, knowing what she would see there. Hurt, betrayal, shattered hopes, crushed dreams. Everything that had recently faded from the haunted hazel orbs would return. "Just you and me."

She was shoved down beside Dean, but still didn't look at him. She just stared up at Jo, willing the girl to understand, needing her to help them escape. She was their only hope.

Sam was pushed roughly down beside them as Gordon finally moved his gun away from Jaydin's head. "That's better," the older hunter smiled, wrapping an arm casually around Jo's waist. "Now, you're probably wondering why you're all here. Let me explain. Sammy's a monster. Dean's his accomplice. Ellen's a slut. Jaye makes good bait. Any questions?"

"Why now?" Dean asked, "why kidnap her in the middle of the slumber party? Why make that much of a mess?"

"They really are dead, then?" Jaye whispered, looking at her father with wide eyes, barely able to stop the tears as the truth hit home."

Dean gaped at her. He'd wanted to wait until they'd gotten home, gotten away from Gordon, until they were safe, to tell her. He hadn't been planning on her already knowing. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

Jaydin nodded. "We're gonna kick his ass, right, dad?"

Dean turned away, mind scrambling to form a decent plan but coming up empty. They were all bound, at the mercy of a psychotic killer who'd had fifteen years to plan his revenge. It wasn't an ideal situation.

"No," Gordon answered, "you're not. But that's ok, sweetie. You won't live to regret it."

"Jo, please," Ellen pleaded, "at least let Jaye go. It wasn't her fault."

Jo glared at her. "No. She's not even supposed to be alive. If he hadn't have gotten you pregnant-"

"Technically," Dean interrupted, "_she_ was the one who got _me_ pregnant."

"She wouldn't even be here," the blonde plowed on, choosing to ignore him, "Gordy and I are just setting things right."

"A few less freaks in the world," Gordon added, "right, Sammy?"

Sam narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. He'd had a feeling it would come down to this, just waiting for the older man to strike him dead. He'd figured it would end differently, though, that he would be able to save what was left of his family. Maybe Gordon would take a page out of the demon's book, propose a trade. But that hadn't happened, and he was at a loss.

"It's not their fault, Jo," Dean said suddenly, "it's mine."

She turned to face him. "Excuse me?"

"Think about it. Who hit on who? Your mom was just hanging out at the bar, minding her own business, when I waltzed in and conned her into sleeping with me. Who wanted to keep the baby? She didn't. She was gonna terminate. It's my fault Jaye's around."

Jo looked between her mother and Dean, watching them. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," he continued, "and a couple years back, I forced her to fall in love with me. All part of the master plan. She felt guilty. Stayed with me so I wouldn't do something stupid. These past two years we've slept in separate rooms. We barely talk. She's just there so that I don't jump off a bridge or something. It's my fault she left you, Jo, not hers."

"Is that true?" she looked at her mother, who just nodded.

"Gordon's gonna kill me," Dean said, "he's gonna kill me, and your mom won't have a reason to stick around. If you let her and Jaye leave, she'll stay with you again. I won't be there to beg anymore."

"What about Jaydin?"

He grinned. "She can take care of herself. She'll be fine." He looked over at his daughter, grin never faltering, even as he saw her eyes widen in fear.

"You'd orphan your daughter?"

"No. _You_ would. But it's ok. Like I said, she's independent."

Jo stared at him, appraising him, trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. "Ok."

"What?" Gordon asked, shock apparent in his voice.

"He's got a point," Jo said, "it wasn't her fault. Besides, she doesn't even want to stay with him. She'll come back home. Gordy, it's what I want."

Sighing, Gordon nodded. "Fine. But if they rat us out or come back, they're both dead."

Smiling, Jo reached around and cut the tape that bound her mother and sister. "Wait for me," she said as she ushered them out, looking pointedly at her mother.

Ellen nodded. "Sure thing, honey." She opened the door and headed out into the setting sun, youngest daughter in tow.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks again for reviewing, guys. It helps give me the strength to keep doing what I love. I should probably tell you that this is the next-to-last chapter in the story and series, so enjoy it and thanks for reading!

* * *

"You are such a _bitch!_" Jaydin shouted as she followed her mother through the slightly wooded area that hid the cabin and to the spot where the Impala had been parked. "He just sacrificed himself for you- for _us_- and you're just gonna walk away again? I don't even know why I deal with you. You know what? I'm tired of being nice. What you did in there is just plain _wrong_. He's never done anything to you. _You're_ the one who keeps hurting _him_."

Ellen turned quickly, stopping so suddenly that Jaye stumbled backward to avoid hitting her. "Are you done?"

"No, I am not done! What's wrong with you?"

"I kind of need you to shut your yap so I can concentrate," the older woman explained.

"On _what_?" Jaye spat, "leaving him _again_? Building his hopes up and then _stomping_ all over them? Making-"

"On picking the lock on the trunk of the car."

Jaye blinked. "What?"

Ellen started heading back out to the Impala, her daughter tagging along behind. "We need guns."

"Why?"

They reached the car and the older hunter knelt down to inspect the lock on the trunk. "So we can run back in there, catch Gordon off-guard, and bust a cap in his psychotic ass before he shoots your father."

"Huh?"

Ellen sighed and turned to look up at her daughter. "You're right. I've been a bitch in the past, and I understand where you're coming from, but your dad's gonna be expecting a rescue."

"But you said…"

"People lie, Jaye," she said, turning back to the lock.

"Does he know?"

"Not yet." Ellen pulled a bobby pin out of her pocket and started to work on the lock.

Jaydin snorted. "Who carries around bobby pins anymore?"

o0o0o0o0o0o

"I really do wish your daughter was here to see this," Gordon said, looking at Dean and grinning, "it's a character builder, you know? Besides, this psychic thing probably runs in the family," he glanced at Sam before turning to gaze at Jo, "we should have kept her here, just to be safe."

"She's a fifteen year old girl," Jo reminded him.

"Still, with her genes, the circumstances of her birth, the fact that she was kidnapped by the same psychic-producing demon twice… it makes me wonder."

"She's normal," Dean said forcefully.

"Of course you would say that," Gordon hissed, turning back to Dean, "freaks _are _normal in your family. Fortunately for you, you aren't one of them. You know what that means?"

Dean glanced at his brother, who was glaring at Gordon with determination on his face, his chin stuck out, eyes blazing. "No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"It means you'll be the second to die. Sammy here's the first." He grinned wickedly, obviously pleased at the look of pain in Dean's eyes. "I know you've lost a lot," he cooed, "your parents, the only woman willing to put up with you for more than a few hours at a time, and now your brother, too. At least you won't have to live with the pain."

"So it's a mercy killing?" Sam asked, truly speaking up for the first time since being bound.

Gordon nodded. "Now you're getting it. Marcy, necessity, and vengeance. He had me locked up."

Sam opened his mouth to reply, but Dean cut him off. "He's got a point, Sammy. I called the cops on him as soon as we left that run-down house. They responded pretty fast, huh?"

Sammy stared at him, realizing suddenly that his brother wanted to die. He'd lost everything he'd worked for, lost his family to a raving psychopath and his overly-jealous girlfriend. It was over. "What about Jaye?" he whispered, "what's gonna happen to her?"

Dean looked at his brother as if seeing him for the first time, his eyes wide. "What?"

"If you die, what'll happen to her?"

The older man stared at him, blinking slowly. Swallowing hard, he turned to Gordon. "I lied. Sam called the cops. I didn't even know about it. Dude, I was on your side. I was even cool about the vampire thing. I would have killed you in Indiana. I wouldn't have locked you up. That's torture to someone who's gotta be free. I would have ended the misery. Come on, you know me."

Gordon grinned. "I'm not stupid. I'm not letting you go, not now. Not when I'm so close. You can't change your story to save yourself for your pretty little girl. It's too late." He brandished the same gun he'd pointed at Jaye earlier that night, now aiming it at Sam, who closed his eyes.

For the second time that day, the door to the cabin burst open, revealing Ellen and Jaydin, both training their pistols at their former captors. "Drop it, Gordon," Ellen warned.

Smirking, the hunter spun around, grabbing Jaye by the wrist and twisting her hand around with a snap. The girl cried out as her wrist broke and the gun fell from her hands. Dean pushed himself up, barely able to keep his balance, intent on causing as much harm as possible to the man who'd just hurt his daughter. He stopped his feeble attempt, however, when he saw that Gordon had his gun pressed up against the side of Jaye's head.

"Anybody make a move," Gordon said, his voice soft and dangerous, his eyes sparkling with malice, "and she never makes it to her sweet sixteen."

Dean dropped back down to the floor, glaring at the older hunter. "You don't want to do that," he said, pleading with his eyes, "we've been over this. It's not her fault."

"It's in the genes," Gordon hissed, "she's a freak."

"No, she's not," Sam said slowly, "she's just like everybody else. She's normal. The demon was only after her because it was after me. There's nothing wrong with her."

"I don't believe it." The hunter caught a quick movement out of the corner of his eye and grinned. "You pull that trigger, lady," he said, turning toward Ellen, "and Jo is gonna be an only child again. Don't even twitch."

Slowly, Ellen released her finger from the trigger, never taking her eyes off the man, hoping that he didn't count that as a threatening move. Apparently, a twitch in any direction was bad, and a gunshot rang through the small building.

For a moment, it seemed like the world had stopped. Everything was still and silent, everyone too shocked to speak. It was Dean's anguished cry that drew everyone out of the collective stupor, the speed with which cruel reality had hit him, the strength of the sobs that wracked his body.

For a moment, that was the only sound. The cries of a broken man. Then the body hit the floor and Jaye ran to her father and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the pain in her wrist in a desperate attempt to comfort him.

For a moment, Sam and Ellen just stared at them, unable to comprehend what had happened. Slowly, they both turned wide eyes to Jo, who was standing over Gordon's lifeless body, still pointing Jaydin's dropped weapon at his back. "Nobody hurts my sister, you pervert," she whispered, shooting him once more for good measure.


	10. Chapter 10

Aw. the final chapter. Thanks again for reading and reviewing, guys. It really me4ans more to me than i can express in words :)

* * *

The sky was painted orange and gold by the light of the setting sun as the family walked back to where they'd left the car. Dean hadn't been able to let go of his daughter since Jo had finally cut the tape from around his wrists, and had a hand on her shoulder as they walked. Sam was rubbing his wrists absently, thinking about just how close they'd come that day and wondering whether or not Dean had been right to want to give up the baby for her own safety. Ellen wasn't too far behind him, her hands in her pockets, trying to piece together how to make amends, wondering if this was the final time, the last straw, the moment when Dean finally wised up and realized he was better off without her.

Jo hung back, not really sure whether she should be included, whether she should intrude. She liked to think that, by killing the murderous psychopath that had tricked her into hurting her family, she had earned redemption in their eyes. She knew it was a long-shot, though.

"I'm sorry," she blurted as they reached the car.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked.

"I'm sorry. He took advantage of me. He tricked me. I never wanted anyone to get hurt-"

"That's not true," Ellen interrupted, "you wanted to hurt me. You wanted to hurt Dean."

"I was confused. I didn't know what I wanted. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted you to come back." She felt tears welling up behind her eyes as she looked at her mother, her lip quivering as she begged for forgiveness. "Please. I missed you. I want you to come back home."

Ellen sighed, knowing it was wrong, but unable to resist the urge to comfort her daughter. "A couple of years ago," she said softly, placing a hand on Jo's shoulder, "I would have taken you up on that. I would have gone back in a heartbeat."

"But now?"

"Now," she smiled sadly, "I'd still like for us to be a family." She turned and looked back at Sam, Dean, and Jaydin, noticing that Dean was avoiding her gaze, looking down at the ground. "But it's just not gonna work." She pulled her hand from Jo's shoulder and backed toward the group, slipping her hand into Dean's as he looked up at her, shock written plainly on his face. "You pushed me away. You kicked me out of my own house. These guys actually want me around." She glanced at Jaye and smiled. "Well, Dean wants me around, anyway."

Jo dropped her gaze. "Fine," she said quietly, "I guess this is good-bye."

"Wait," Dean said, stepping forward and reaching out a hand toward her, "if you really hate being alone… if you want your mom around, I mean… our guest bedroom recently opened up, and-"

"What?" Sam said, "uh, no. Dean, I'm tired of sleeping on the couch. For two straight years now I've had a kink my neck because you refuse to buy me good pillows."

"It's not his fault you lost that fight," Jaye smiled, looking up at him with innocent, though glassy, eyes.

"To a girl," Ellen added, "who's twice your age and half your weight."

"So I underestimated my opponent," Sam pouted, "can't you drop it?"

"Not yet," Jaye said, holding her broken wrist up a little higher to try and alleviate some of the pain.

"The point is," Dean continued, turning back to Jo, "that if you really are sorry and need a place to stay, our door's always open."

"I don't think so," the blonde said, her voice icy, "I want my mom back. I never asked for _you_."

"You've gotta be kidding me. Are you really that selfish?"

"You're the one who took her," Jo hissed before turning around and heading off to the clearing where she'd parked her own car.

Dean turned to look at his family, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I give up," he muttered, walking back to join them. He was met by the palm of Ellen's hand slapping the back of his head. "Ow."

"What's wrong with you? She tried to kill us!"

"She's your daughter."

"Consider her disowned after the stunt she just pulled."

"Saving Jaye's life?"

"After endangering it."

"So, I get to keep the guest room?" Sam asked, effectively interrupting the little lover's spat.

"Yes!" they both responded before continuing their argument.

"Excuse me," Jaye piped up after watching her parents fight over whether or not her sister was truly worthy of redemption for a little over a minute, "but my wrist is killing me. Unless you've got some morphine on you, I'd suggest we go to the emergency room. Like, now."

Her parents turned to look at her. "She's got a point," Ellen conceded.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but Vicodin's better."

Jaydin rolled her eyes as her father pulled out the keys and unlocked the car, carefully ushering her in before sliding behind the wheel and starting it up. Maybe her family wasn't perfect. Maybe a relative or two wanted her dead. Maybe her parents still had some things to work through. But it was bound to get better. She believed that with all her heart. Her dad did, too, apparently. Why else would he have bought that diamond ring that he kept hidden in his sock drawer?

* * *

Aha! Another evil ending where you can draw your own conclusions as to what happens next! Well, this time it's actually for real. I swear, I won't make another. I'm all TGA'd out for now. Thanks again to my faithful readers for actually sticking by me through this one and reviewing. 


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